CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > November 2022 33 For 15 years the CESAR scheme has been protecting construction plant equipment from theft and is the UK’s official construction and agricultural equipment security and registration scheme of the CEA (Construction Equipment Association), promoted by the AEA (Agricultural Engineers Association) and powered by Datatag Id Ltd. Established in 2007, it is the only scheme of its kind which incorporates a database of ownership, allowing stolen machinery to be identified and returned to its rightful owner. May 2006 saw a major initiative in the campaign to stamp out crime in the construction industry when more than 20 companies were invited to tender to the Plant Theft Action Group to implement a unique security and registration scheme - a first for the sector. Datatag underwent a rigorous tendering and selection process before a final submission to the CEA and was announced as the winning company in November 2006. CESAR was first launched at the Combined Industries Theft Solutions (CITS) conference held at JCB’s Rocester HQ in 2007, with the agricultural sector coming on board on 2009. Since its launch CESAR has been adopted by leading equipment manufacturers including Caterpillar, Hitachi, John Deere, New Holland, Massey Ferguson, Volvo, Komatsu, Hyundai, Takeuchi, JCB, SANY, Manitou and Merlo. To date, 550 thousand items of equipment have been marked with the unique multi-layered technology to give each machine a unique identity. The universally recognised triangular CESAR registration plate has become the industry standard identification mark. CESAR marking of construction and agricultural machinery has contributed significantly to a decline in thefts since the scheme was first launched. Recovery rates of CESAR registered equipment are significantly higher than non-registered machines and official statistics confirm that a machine protected and registered by the CESAR Scheme is approximately four times less likely to be stolen than a non-registered machine and approximately six times more likely to be recovered. The scheme is also recognised by Police, law enforcement, border and port authorities as a result of the accurate machinery data recorded by Datatag and the CESAR scheme. Kevin Howells, Managing Director of Datatag, said: “The last 15 years has been one of the most difficult and challenging periods ever recorded, particularly the last five years. During this time I have constantly been impressed and grateful for the support of the CEA, the AEA and the fantastic dedicated team at Datatag, CESARMarks its 15-year Anniversary NEWS FROMCPA MEMBERS: 4